mainstay
mainstay
Definition
main·stay (-stā′)
noun
- a stay, or line, extending forward from the mainmast, supporting it and holding it in position
- a chief support
mainstay
Synonyms
mainstay
Usage Examples
Preposition: of
- economy: Now, tourism is the mainstay of the economy.
- treatment: The mainstay of treatment for early stage cancer is surgical removal of the tumor.
- fleet: The Leyland National, once the mainstay of the fleet is no longer.
- diet: The seeds inside form the mainstay of the diet for this rare bird.
- therapy: Local corticosteroids and analgesics are the mainstay of therapy although some success has been reported with the use of thalidomide ( see below ).
- scene: Fulton had been a mainstay of the Scottish comedy scene for more than 30 years when Scotch and Wry first materialized in 1978.
Possessives
- town: Hawaiian lore claims members gave me town's economic mainstay the caffeine rush.
- company: During the 30s the company's mainstay was the high performance Speed 20, considered to be a serious rival to Rolls Royce.
Converse of object
- remain: Silver, however, remained the mainstay of the coinage.
- become: The olive became a mainstay in the life of the ancients.
- form: Morris Minor The Minor van formed the mainstay of the GPO's small van fleet for almost two decades.
- provide: For many solicitors divorce cases provide the mainstay of their family work.
- prove: Unsurprisingly given their proximity to livestock, cheese proved a mainstay in securing the girls's romantic futures.
- consider: The mining industry could be considered a mainstay of the Mongolian economy.
Adjective modifier
- economic: Mining was the economic mainstay of Cornwall in the 19th century.
- traditional: The District, although predominantly rural has a diverse economy, with agriculture and quarrying being the traditional mainstay.
- other: By the early 1990s, quinine, the other mainstay of malaria treatment worldwide, was failing.
Modifies a noun
Browse dictionary entries near mainstay
- mainspring
- mainsheet
- mainsail
- mainmast
- mainly
- mainline
- mainland
- mainframe computer
- mainframe
- Mainer
